How To: Feel Like A Real Human Being (Finally)

by Shannon

This summer was the summer of being selfish. I did what I want, when I wanted to, and I did it with ease. Before you condemn me, however, it was selfish in a good way, a healthy way.

I met my now-husband in first year university, and after graduating, I went right into more school, and then an internship, and then a job. I’ve always been responsible in that sense. And it’s really boring.

So this summer, I said eff this shiz and explored. I went to New York with my best friend – multiple times. I went on a road trip to the middle of nowhere, I went to concerts, I didn’t clean my apartment, and I let my hair get really tangly. It felt amazing. And part of me really wishes I could live like that forever.

But my plants kind of started dying this summer. I never did iron that shirt I really like, it’s still sitting in the spare room, waiting for me. I didn’t buy new headphones like I wanted, and I just basically didn’t get a lot done.

This past week, I’ve been a grown-up. I’m cleaning, I’m spending more time working, and I went for a (very, very short) run this morning. And that feels good too.

Finding that balance between being a responsible adult, and someone who does not suck is really hard. And there will still be days when I blow caution to the wind and hop on a plane somewhere, or I just decide to be a huge lazy bum and do dick-all. But hopefully I can balance that with getting my shit done as well. So the better I work at that… you know… the better.

How To: Go Back To Being 16

by Shannon

Just give a good old solid listen to those songs that got you through some mad heartbreak.

Might I suggest Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Work’?

BRB, g2g bawl my eyes out.

How To: Achieve That Elusive Work-Life Balance

by Shannon

Dude, just take a vacation. I know that sounds like a quick-fix solution, and maybe it is, but after a week of being back from NYC, I’m still riding high from it.

I typically work 75 – 80 hour work weeks. Every week night, and every weekend, for sure. When I got back from vacation, I was on such an absolute high from it that I just couldn’t keep that up. All I wanted to do was think about how awesome my trip was!

I obviously still have work I need to get done, but somehow it’s really helped me mellow out a bit and realize that work isn’t my main reason for surviving. While I love my job, and really, really love what I do, it’s still a means to an end to do other stuff I also love to do, like go on trips, and meet new people, and eat hamburgers.

Who knows how long this feeling will last, but I guess that just means I’ll have to take another trip.

YOLO!

How To: Annoy Your Husband, Part 2

by Shannon

When you return from a 4-day work trip, just leave your suitcase out on the floor in the living room for a few days.

Bonus if there are still clothes in it you haven’t put away, and your condo is only 640 square feet!

How To: Build A Kick-Ass Robot Helmet

by Shannon

Rach and I are pretty obsessed with robots – and honestly, why not? Styx liked robots. And if Styx liked robots, well, they’re good enough for us.

On Wednesday night, we launched a new beer for Hop City Brewing – HopBot IPA. It’s pretty freaking awesome – 7.1% ABV, 70 IBUs. And it smells like everything awesome.

Anyway, the logo is a robot, and any excuse to make a robot helmet, well, I’m sure as hell going to take it.

(Disclaimer: It’s a damn good thing no one from work reads this blog, because I definitely didn’t get their permission to post these photos of them looking cooler than cool.)

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1. First things first – go out and buy some shoes so you have some boxes. Most important step
2. Just do some mad taping. Robots can look any way you want. I went with the basic square head, but imagination is where you have to come in, since robots lack this basic human function
3. The add-ons are the best part. I went with a slinky on top, and some soup-can eyes. It’s also a good idea to have a handy friend around. I was just going to tape the eyes on, but my friend Dave actually went crazy and screwed them in, securing them with bolts, which is pretty awesome
4. Spray paint, spray paint, spray paint! Though not inside, because you’ll definitely get it on the floor and walls of your condo. It was an accident, I swear!
5. Party on!

What’s Yo’ Beef #30

by Rachel

30 posts! Woot!

Rachel
My beef is the following:

I HATE the sound of ripping plastic casing off cardboard, also that usually the outer layer of cardboard comes off and then there’s still that rough shit that gives me the shivers you have to poke through. Ugh…. COME ON!

Shannon
My beef is when everything is on plan and you give people deadlines and they can’t stick with them… COME ON!

What’s Yo’ Beef #29

by Rachel

Rachel

No worries about missing beef day Shannon… Trust me, I forget stuff too, in fact it’s part of my beef today.
This week’s beef is the culmination of months of mistakes, and effects of said mistakes, therefore feeling like a giant idiot.
Example 1: My cell phone bill was double the fee this month, and I said ‘whaaaaat? I definitely paid that last month’…. Turns out I still had my old cell phone provider on my list of payees for online banking. I paid them by accident, which resulted in calling and explaining and making me feel like an #idiot.
Example 2: Although a simple mistake to make, I screwed up my income on my taxes for 5 whole months. How do you go 5 months not catching a mistake? #idiot.
Example 3: I have to send an invoice to my boss in order to get paid. Today was payday… But not for me! I had an email reminder from my boss, actually completed the invoice, but somehow, forgot to send it. #idiot.
All of these realizations came to me this week. COME ON!

Shannon

I did want to make my beef today about shitty technology, and how my computer hasn’t let me on WordPress for like, the entire week, but I’ve decided I’m bigger than that.

I’ve had a pretty good week actually, so relatively low beefs on this end, but there is one thing that’s totally been getting my griddle fired up, and that’s grown-up hangovers.

I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance, thanks in part to years of training with Queen’s Players, and the fact that I work for a beer company. It’s something I’m pretty proud of, and I can definitely hold my own against people who are a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier.

But man, do I ever pay for it these days. Last night Liam and I had dinner out, where I had one beer, then we moved to a friend’s house (where I played Grand Theft Auto for the first time – what have I been missing?!), where I had one cider, and half of a beer. And I feel slightly hungover! My skin has that not-fresh feeling, my head is just sliiightly throbbing, and all I want is tomato soup (though that’s also just a regular day for me). What the dude! Grown-up hangovers man, they suck.

What’s Yo’ Beef #28

by Rachel

Rachel

Menstrual cramps am I right? COME ON!

Shannon

I really hope Rachel’s beef next week isn’t late co-blog posts, because damn, I totally missed yesterday.

My beef this week – as my colleagues who overhear me on the phone yelling at people all the time can attest to – is changing your name. I got married more than a year ago, and about two months ago, decided to apply for a new credit card, because I’m a grown-up now, and free movie points are sweet, but free money is sweeter. Anyway, the headache that comes with doing this is off the charts. I spoke to three different people, six different times, and these people just don’t know what the hell is going on half the time!

Get this – the official way to let the credit bureau know you’ve changed your name is to mail them a piece of paper that says you have. How is that official in any way?!

Dealing with shit over the phone. COME ON!

How To: Get Excited For Work

by Shannon

Pack an excellent lunch.

I can hardly sleep the night before!

Ask not what you can do for mankind, but what’s for lunch

What’s Yo’ Beef #24

by Rachel

Rachel

Its Friday, and this week I have had this unexplained feeling of uneasiness. I have no idea what it is! Its like the feeling you get if you’ve done something wrong and are feeling bad about it (which I did not!), or like something bad is going to happen. It’s the worst!

Shannon

Hm. Today is Valentine’s Day, and also my engageversary, and I had a pretty great lunch, so I’m not feeling super beefy today.

A small beef, but an ongoing one for me, is getting up to get stuff. I sit at a desk all day for work, so I know it’s healthier for me to get up and move around and stuff, but sometimes I just don’t feel like getting up to go to the bathroom, or get more water, or get something from the printer, you know? I wish I could just teleport somewhere sometimes. Teleportation, where are you?!